That Look
by castlenerd
Summary: My take on what happens at Ryan's wedding. How will Beckett and Castle handle being in such a romantic situation? Rated T for language. Three-shot.
1. Chapter 1

Kate stood in front of the full length mirror checking her make-up for the third time before standing up straight to inspect the rest of herself.

Thank God Jenny had good taste. The bridesmaid dress was a strapless, cream, knee-lengthened number paired with a pair of black heels (a little shorter than she liked but Jenny must've figured she was already a head taller than the rest of the bridal party).

Kate straightened the cinched waist on the dress while she contemplated her seventh time to be a bridesmaid.

- She was just finishing up her paperwork and the silence in the precinct was only broken by the odd uniform that walked through. Castle had gone back to the loft an hour or so ago to make sure that Alexis made it home from her date safely. Ever since Alexis and Ashley's relationship had fizzled out and the teenager had begun dating again, Castle's endearing father side had peeked out frequently. Esposito left right after they closed their case claiming he had some, "business to attend to." She didn't question him about it. And Ryan had got up from his desk, phone pressed to his ear, whispering fervently into the device as he called the elevator. A half an hour had passed and still no sign of him.

Kate crossed the last two t's in her signature with a flourish before she closed the file and pushed away from her desk. She had one arm in the sleeve of her coat and was working on the second one when Detective Ryan came hurrying around the corner.

He came rushing up to her, his hair looking like he had spent a good part of the last half hour pulling at tufts of it with his fists. Once he reached her, Ryan stood, slightly shaking, with his face crushed into distraught lines that hadn't been there a week ago.

"Ryan, what is it?" She asked, clearly worried.

"I need… your help." He forced out."

"Why? What's wrong?" Now he was just scaring her.

"You have to be Jenny's bridesmaid."

"Uh…What?" She sputtered, obviously flustered by this turn of events.

"She is driving me crazy! Everything we ever talk about is about the flowers, or the china patterns, or the color of the table cloths. Who cares if the damn table cloths are white or off-white? I sure as hell don't! And now she is going insane because she was going to ask Lanie to be her second bridesmaid but now I don't even think Lane would want to be in the same room as her, much less the same wedding party! And her sister is the maid of honor but she is insisting that she have another bridesmaid so it will be equal because I'm gonna have Esposito AND Castle and she wants the wedding to be perfect and it is going to be all my fault if she doesn't have exactly what she wants and she wants another bridesmaid and apparently she doesn't have any friends that live in New York that she knows well enough to ask and, well, I know that she doesn't really know you but, I mean, we're friends, and colleaugues and we have each other's back, so she just thought that you should be in the wedding party and I might have said that I'd ask. And I'm really sorry."

The last part came out really quiet compared to the rest of his speech. Kate had never seen him blow up like that; he had always been Kevin Ryan, kid brother, and now he was Kevin Ryan, a man with a fiance and a wedding.

At first Kate didn't know how to react. She didn't really want to be a bridesmaid and, as Ryan had said, she didn't know Jenny all that well. But, then again, Ryan was a big part of her team and she didn't really want to tell him no. Especially when he looked like a puppy on one of those damn depressing ASPCA commercials.

"Well…" she started, none too sure where she was going to go with the statement.

"I know, I know," Ryan hung his head low avoiding eye contact. "It's okay, I understand. You'll still be there though, right?"

Wow, now she really couldn't say no. Just hearing the lilt of hope in his voice when he asked if she was still going to come was enough to make her say yes.

"Ryan, don't look like I just hit you with a rolled up magazine. I'll, uh, I'll be a bridesmaid." The words sounded a little odd coming out of her mouth but she didn't know what else to say.

"You will?" Gosh, he looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Yeah," she replied, suddenly feeling a little self-concious.

"Beckett, you're gonna get one hell of a birthday present this year!" Ryan exclaimed as he pulled her in for an awkward hug.

"I better," she muttered.

- About a week after she agreed to be bridesmaid, Lanie and Esposito made up and Jenny asked her to be a bridesmaid as a peace offering (or maybe Lanie agreed as an apology).

Either way, Lanie and Kate were now standing with a bouquet of pink flowers in their hands, clad in matching dresses.

They heard the music begin inside the church, and suddenly some woman Kate hadn't met yet, was ushering them into a single file line. Lanie gave Kate this look that clearly said, "Let's get this over with." But Kate, Kate had always enjoyed weddings and she knew that Ryan's wouldn't be any different.

Lanie went first, walking smoothly down the aisle and smiling gracefully. She must have winked at Esposito because, from where Kate was standing just outside the doors to the sanctuary, she could see Esposito's smile turn into a barely disguised leer.

Next it was Kate's turn. She started into the church moving at the tempo of the music Jenny had meticulously chosen. The church looked perfect, like something out of a fairy tale. There were soft pink flowers everywhere and white material was draped between the pews and over the altar. Ryan smiled at her gratefully and Kate couldn't help but notice how overwhelmingly happy he looked. She wished she was that happy on her wedding day.

She scanned to Esposito who stood by Ryan proudly and was dressed in a nice tux; black coat with a silver vest and tie. He gave her a smile before looking back over at Lanie. Kate was glad the two had finally gotten back together. They had been miserable without each other and, not that she didn't love Lanie, but one more 'Girl's Night' of clubbing and she'd have to come up with a good excuse not to go.

Next to Esposito was Castle, and while all the other guests had turned to look at the maid of honor (who was rather stunning), Castle was staring at her with that look that she couldn't place. Or was scared to place.

This was going to be a long night.


	2. Chapter 2

The ceremony was lovely, and aside from Esposito momentarily "forgetting" where he had placed the ring, it went off without a hitch. Kate tried to stay focused on the priest's words and the happy couple's vows because every time her eye's strayed from their linked hands and smiling faces, she found Castle's blue eyes which had been glancing at her the entire ceremony.

It wasn't unpleasant; him looking at her. Actually, it was the exact opposite which made it even harder to tear her eyes away.

Everytime she chanced a look, he would be staring right back. The lust that covered his face was expected (she knew she looked good) but the way his eyes took her in, consuming her, made her self-conscious. His lips were stuck in a grin that said he was enjoying every minute of standing up on the altar across from her. But the softness in his eyes, the blue depths filled with that… that… scary something she refused to name, was the most shocking of all. His eyes seemed to promise that they'd be standing here again, together, except they'd be the ones holding hands and smiling like idiots…

Kate shook her head vigorously trying to rid herself of the image of her in a wedding dress standing across from him in a tux as he gave her the same look. She needed to focus on something else, she needed a distraction.

"Whoa, Lanie!" Kate complained as the slightly intoxicated woman that had been sitting to her left was now sprawled across her lap, jerked by the sudden stop of the car.

"Sorry, girl!" Lanie replied as she righted herself. They were on their way to the reception and Lanie had already helped herself to some of the booze in the limo. "What's up with you? You've been quiet the whole ride."

"Nothing." Kate shrugged it off and resumed looking out the window as downtown New York flashed by.

"I noticed Writer Boy couldn't take his eyes off you tonight."

Damn Lanie and her observations.

"Mmmmm?" Maybe nonchalance was the way to go.

"Don't pretend like you didn't notice." Lanie scolded, "I don't know why you don't just go for it."

"Lanie," Kate started exasperated, "I just… It just… We wouldn't…" We wouldn't, what? Kate asked herself.

Every attempt at denial, every excuse she usually used was falling flat. But Kate knew why she couldn't just jump into it with Castle. A relationship with Castle would demand everything of her. She wouldn't be able to give half of herself. She'd have to commit. Have to give up that last vestibule of independence she had been clinging to ever since Richard Castle walked into her life. He deserved everything. And that is exactly what she would give him… when she was ready of course.

"Mhmmmm." was Lanie's only reply as she gave Kate a knowing look and turned back to the rest of the bridal party.

It was a few minutes later that Kate was handed a flute of champagne by Jenny's sister under the pretense of making a toast to the bride. Kate wasn't really paying attention, though, as the woman, Beth, spouted something about sisterly love and how she wished Jenny and "Kev" the best.

Lanie downed hers in one gulp and then turned to Kate expectantly. Kate inspected the glass of bubbling, light fluid before downing it in one swift movement. The liquid went down smoothly and a warmness traced a path through her body.

She hadn't really expected to drink much tonight. Kate knew how to hold her liquor but being tipsy at a wedding. A wedding that Castle was also attending. Didn't seem like the best idea.

The other girls in the car were pouring their second glass by the time they pulled up to the reception hall, but Kate passed earning a questioning look from Lanie.

The Windymere Hotel was very nice. Complete with gold accents and rich colored furniture, the lobby boasted warm lighting and uniformed, young bell boys. A large sign directed the "Friends and Family of Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Ryan" to a large reception hall down a long hallway to the right of the lobby.

Inside the large ballroom, the party was just getting started as all of the guests mingled, some sitting at the neatly set tables and some standing around in the empty space that would later be the dance floor.

Kate glanced around the room quickly, scanning the guests for that one… Castle.

The groomsmen must've gotten to the reception much before the bridal party because the man in question was already chatting up what looked like two of Ryan's more attractive cousins.

Kate tried to thwart the pang of jealousy that rose to the surface. It was irrational. It was unfair. And it was completely unwarranted judging by the looks sent her way during the ceremony.

Still, as she watched the pretty, petite, twenty-somethings that smiled up at Castle with bright eyes, she couldn't help but feel a little green. Okay, she really needed to stop staring…

Too late.

Castle smiled at her. A wide smile that he hadn't given to either of the two girls in front of him and suddenly Kate couldn't imagine why she would ever be jealous of them. It wasn't until Castle had excused himself and was walking straight towards her that Kate realized she had been staring at him since she first noticed him.

"Hi," she said as he came near, finally snapping out of her funk.

"Hello," Castle replied, distracted with raking his eyes up her long form. Kate felt herself blush under his gaze. "You look absolutely stunning tonight, Kate."

The sound of her first name rolling off his tongue sent a shiver up her spine and she knew that her cheeks were an unnatural red. She ducked her head to hide a nervous smile, "Thanks. You look pretty handsome yourself."

And he did. Dressed in that tux, a blue flower pinned to the pocket that made his eyes a little brighter than usual, he looked as handsome as ever.

"Well, thank you, Detective." And there was that twinkle in his eyes.

Kate couldn't help but smile back, and she was about to say something about the ceremony when Beth made an announcement about dinner beginning. Castle reached out and gave her hand a little squeeze before they returned to their respective tables.

The dinner (chicken because Ryan had decided that a cop's salary didn't allow for fish) was over quickly and before Kate had finished the drink a handsome relative of Jenny's had sent her way, dancing was starting.

Ryan and Jenny had their first dance to a classic Frank Sinatra song and they moved smoothly across the floor. Nothing too fancy, but the dancing lessons Ryan was complaining about two weeks ago had obviously paid off. They appeared to be so overwhelmingly happy, all smiles and loving looks. Kate looked on in awe as other couples began dancing alongside them but none quite as overjoyed.

"You know… this is nice."

The familiar voice startled Kate from her thoughts as it caressed the space around her ear. "Yeah, it is."

"I don't remember being that happy at my weddings," Castle said as he too looked at the newly weds.

Kate felt a little pinch as she realized that Castle had already done all of this… twice. He had done the planning, and the "I do's", and the first dance. "Would you ever do it again?"

The question slipped out without her consent and she was surprised at how completely vulnerable she sounded. What if he didn't want this? He'd already done it twice before.

"With someone I really love?" He began, considering her. "Without hesitation."

She smiled broadly at him. The three words he had uttered to her flying to the forefront. As much as she liked to deny it, being with Castle, being able to tell Rick Castle how much she loved him too, was one thing she wanted more than anything.

"Would you want this?"

"If I really love him." She agreed. And then she was trapped in his eyes. Looking away wasn't an option and she had a hard time staying an appropriate distance away. His blue eyes just kept looking deeper and deeper into her until she could've sworn that he could see her heart, surrounded by its ever crumbling walls. He was like a magnetic force and she felt herself being pulled in; the distance between them decreasing with every second that passed. Her body was moving towards him (or maybe his body was moving towards her) and then…

"Would you dance with me?"

**Thanks everyone for reading! The response on the first chapter was incredible. Sorry it took me so long to update but I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one in a Castle coma after Cops and Robbers... Amazing!**

**Please Review! :)**


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